Eschatology is a popular topic these days. It’s not a popular word, probably due to the fact that it rolls of the tongue like muddy gravel, but it (the study of what the Bible says about the end of the world) is a popular topic regardless. I bring up eschatology, its awkward pronunciation, and its popularity because I just listened to a sermon (via an MP3 burned on a CD, which is like hooking a flash drive to a typewriter) about it.
There are two things that really bug me about eschatology. First, the timing is debatable. All the arguments and insights seem to revolve around Israel becoming an independent nation. We are assured that this is a major sign that the approach of the end of the world is “accelerating.” Because Israel is pivotal in numerous prophesies, this makes sense. But Israel has been a sovereign nation since 1948. That’s almost sixty years of being a nation. In the Biblical timescale, sixty years isn’t much. But if you’re going to bandy about words like “accelerating,” you’ll find more disappointed people than anxiously awaiting people in another sixty years should Christ not return triumphant between now and then. Anyway, according to Daniel, the Abomination that Causes Desolation needs to stand in the temple before the showdown begins. Antichrist gets all sorts of nifty names designed to impress you. The temple, by the way, isn’t rebuilt yet… what with there being another building over the historical site.
Second, and more important than the first, is motivation. By that I mean the motivation for studying, preaching, and pronouncing eschatology. Why do we do it? If we only do it in order to scare people, to light a fire under them, than I don’t think we’re doing it for the right reasons. You see, scare tactics provide wonderful motivation. The problem is, the motivation is short term and limited. If someone accepts Christ merely as a way to get out of hell, they’re likely to be highly motivated for a short period of time before they go back to life as usually. Not that scaring people into salvation is wholly bad. It worked for Jonathan Edwards. It’s the “and then” that’s important. If someone accepts Christ as a way to get out of hell and then falls in love with Him, that person likely to actually do this walk we call faith. Without the “and then” of love, that same person is likely to go back to life as usual in a few weeks, months, or years. Fear motivates urgently but only for a short while; motivation brought on by love is lasting.
What’s almost as bad as faulty motivation (scaring someone without offering Christ’s unconditional love), is lack of motivation. It’s far too common to hear someone preach about how the world is going to end and… well, there’s no “and.” The follow up that you expect, that “the world’s going to end so you should…” is missing. What good does proving that the end of the world is upon us doing anyone if we don’t follow it up with ways to actually prepare for it?
So there you have it, my two problems with eschatology as preached commonly today. Does that mean I’m opposed to the study of the end times? Nope. I’m for it, actually. Jesus talked about it. I know that because the end of the world is talked about in those red lettered bits of the New Testament. If Jesus thought it was important enough to talk about, I figure it has to have some merit. My theory on the end of the world is thus: know the signs so that when you see them, you’ll know that big things are afoot. In the mean time, live life like Jesus told you to.
Eschatology. Try saying it. Really, it feels like muddy gravel rolling off your tongue. No kidding.
There are two things that really bug me about eschatology. First, the timing is debatable. All the arguments and insights seem to revolve around Israel becoming an independent nation. We are assured that this is a major sign that the approach of the end of the world is “accelerating.” Because Israel is pivotal in numerous prophesies, this makes sense. But Israel has been a sovereign nation since 1948. That’s almost sixty years of being a nation. In the Biblical timescale, sixty years isn’t much. But if you’re going to bandy about words like “accelerating,” you’ll find more disappointed people than anxiously awaiting people in another sixty years should Christ not return triumphant between now and then. Anyway, according to Daniel, the Abomination that Causes Desolation needs to stand in the temple before the showdown begins. Antichrist gets all sorts of nifty names designed to impress you. The temple, by the way, isn’t rebuilt yet… what with there being another building over the historical site.
Second, and more important than the first, is motivation. By that I mean the motivation for studying, preaching, and pronouncing eschatology. Why do we do it? If we only do it in order to scare people, to light a fire under them, than I don’t think we’re doing it for the right reasons. You see, scare tactics provide wonderful motivation. The problem is, the motivation is short term and limited. If someone accepts Christ merely as a way to get out of hell, they’re likely to be highly motivated for a short period of time before they go back to life as usually. Not that scaring people into salvation is wholly bad. It worked for Jonathan Edwards. It’s the “and then” that’s important. If someone accepts Christ as a way to get out of hell and then falls in love with Him, that person likely to actually do this walk we call faith. Without the “and then” of love, that same person is likely to go back to life as usual in a few weeks, months, or years. Fear motivates urgently but only for a short while; motivation brought on by love is lasting.
What’s almost as bad as faulty motivation (scaring someone without offering Christ’s unconditional love), is lack of motivation. It’s far too common to hear someone preach about how the world is going to end and… well, there’s no “and.” The follow up that you expect, that “the world’s going to end so you should…” is missing. What good does proving that the end of the world is upon us doing anyone if we don’t follow it up with ways to actually prepare for it?
So there you have it, my two problems with eschatology as preached commonly today. Does that mean I’m opposed to the study of the end times? Nope. I’m for it, actually. Jesus talked about it. I know that because the end of the world is talked about in those red lettered bits of the New Testament. If Jesus thought it was important enough to talk about, I figure it has to have some merit. My theory on the end of the world is thus: know the signs so that when you see them, you’ll know that big things are afoot. In the mean time, live life like Jesus told you to.
Eschatology. Try saying it. Really, it feels like muddy gravel rolling off your tongue. No kidding.
Comments
I have to admit though, I've always been kind of put off by how people try to shoe horn today's news events into things spoken of prophetically in the Bible.
Remember the book, 88 Reasons Why Jesus Will Return in 1988? Scared the snot out of people. I didn't read it, not being that interested, until after so many people asked me about it at work that I basically had to, to answer their questions.
Read and know what the Bible says, live it, and always be ready.
Prophecy conferences and stuff like that don't interest me much.
But I also think, that just as I'm interested in certain things by my nature, I'm an engineer for example, and other's have a natural gift and desire to immerse themselves into music or whatever, I think that there are those whose "makeup" pushes them to learn more and dig deeper than people like me into end time prophecy research and teaching.
Good to see you having a rant!
Anyway, my mom takes the approach like Alastair mentioned which is good in my eyes, but I'm still scared to death and avoid this topic if at all possible. I don't want to imagine my children being starved to death or used as target practice. It's horrific!
This person is not a Jew for Jesus because he's not Jewish, but he lives his life as a Jew. Years ago he sold his business and everything they owned so they'd be ready to move to the Promise Land when all the signs were aligned...which by his calculations were supposed to happen years ago. The end of the world never came, so he's now started up a new business and bought a new house. Oh well.
Given your previous exposure to the topic, I can see why you'd skim the post. Not sure I'd read it if I had the same experience you had.
If it helps, I don't think it's necessary or even useful to imagine all the horrible things that "trials and tribulations" can mean when it comes to the end times. What is important is knowing that should you experience whatever trials may come, there's something better waiting after.
Fortunately for everyone, I'm not likely to post or talk about this particular topic all that often.
Crazy theories abound.